Phonograph



April 19,1932. AB LT' 1,355,157

PHONOGRAFH Filed Oct. 18. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l Ap 19, 1932. F. J. SEABOLT PHONOGRAPH Filed Oct. 18. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A ril 19, 1932. I F. J. SEABOLT 1,855,157v

I PHONOGRAPH Filed Oct. 18. 19 3Sheets-Sheet '3 IPA/cant or-I Patented Apr. 19, 1932 STATES PAT-EN??? FRANK J'. SEABOLT, OF SCHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE PHONOG-RAPH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PHONOGRAPH Application filed October is, 1927. Serial No. 227,007.

and of subsequent applications for patentnow pending.

One of the important features of my pres ent invention resides in the means whereby the played record automatically slides off the table, the turn table being tilted to cause the record to slide into a receptacle below.

Other objects and purposes of my invention will appear in the course of the following specification in which I have shown my 1nvention embodied in concrete form for purposes of illustration. 7

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one embodiment of my invention, Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved machine with the cover thrown back; Fig. 2 is an elevatlon of the same, partly broken away to show the interior arrangement; Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic view inperspective of the entire mechanism; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the gear box constituting the driving connection between the motor and the machine; Fig. 5 shows details of the switching mechanism; Fig. 6 shows details of the lifting and turning mechanism of the tone arm; Fig. 7 shows details of the mechanism for depressing the pin on the turn ta-ble'; Fig. 8 shows details of the device for completing the circuit at the record; Fig. 9 shows details of the bridge for shifting the records; Fig. 10 shows a detail of the pin mechanism on the bridge for shifting the records; Figs. lland 12 are details of the bridge.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, 1.0 represents the cabinet of the machine having the hinged cover 11 thrown back, 12 indicates the rotating turn table upon which a record is located. 13 shows the tone arm cooperating with the record, 14 represents the magazine of records of different diameters, the stack of records being forced upward so that the top record is at substantially the level of the table is depressed and the table itself tilted shown in Fig. 2 so that the record slides down into receptacle 16. The horn, or other means for conveying the sound, is not shown but whatever means is employed it is located back of the screen at 17. The top of the machine is formed preferably by a metallic plate 18 upon which the turn table and other parts, including the tubular member 19 slotted on its bottom side, upon which the bridge slides, are .1nount'ed.- The various' operations (if-shifting the records, tilting the rotating table depressing the center pin on the turn table to permit the played record to slide into the receptacle and the new record to slide onto the table; lifting the tone arm; and returning the tone arm to starting position, are performed by five cam mechanisms shown in detail in F ig. .3.

. Record shifting mechanism The first of these mechanisms, i. e., that which shifts the records to and from the r0- tating table, employs two cams 20 and 20' for operating the lever 21 pivoted at 22, there being a roller23 on the lever which is engaged between the two cams. The top of the lever .21 is pivoted at 24 to a link 25 which is conbridge has a long bearing on the tubular rod 19 upon which it slides. The sliding bridge member comprises projecting arm 28, which a;

extends as far as the center of the record,

and an extension rod 29 which slides in a groove at 30 (Fig. 1) to form a supplemental bearing for the bridge. The pin 27 has a slight vertical movement in the end of the 1 arm 28- and is shouldered as shown, the smaller diameter entering the center hole in the record up to the shoulder.

As shown in Fig. 10, pin 27 slides in a sleeve 31 which, in turn, slides in the end of the arm 28. The pin is resiliently pressed downward in the sleeve by a spring 32 and a knob 33 connected with the pin by a'stem 34 enables the pin to be lifted manually against the pressure of the spring. The pin and sleeve are raised and lowered as a unit by, a finger 35 entering a slot 36 in the sleeve. This finger is mounted on a shaft 37 which is rotated slightly in one direction or the other depending upon which way the bridge is to be moved. The shaft 37 is driven by a gear 38 meshing with a second gear 39 which is given a slight movement by the rod 26 before the bridge starts to move. To this end a rod 40 rigidly connected to the'gear 39 enters a slot 41 in a member 42 connected to rod 26. Assuming that the bridge in Fig. 9 is being moved to the left, the rod 26 will be drawn to the left and its initial movement will turn the shaft 37 through the gears 38 and 39 in a clockwise direction (looking at Fig. 12) and lift the pin. After this limited initial movement thev rod 26 will carry the bridge to the left. Likewise, when the direction of movement of the bridge is to be reversed the initial movement of the rod 26 will lower the pin in a like manner and'thereafter move the bridge. Looking at Fig. 1, therefore, whenever the bridge is moved to the right the pin will be raised and when it is moved to the left the pin will be lowered.

Table tilting mechanism The mechanism for tilting the rotating table is operated by a cam 43 which acts upon a bell-crank lever 44 pivoted at 45 and having a roller at one end for engaging the cam. The opposite end of the lever imparts a lon- 'itudinal movement to rod 46 through links 47, 48 and 49, the last two links being connected through a pin 50 mounted in a fixed support 51. The rod46 is connected to a shaft 52 by a crank 53 so that as therod 46 is moved longitudinally by the cam and the bell crank lever, the rod 52 turns through a small angle. A rectangular frame 54'is secured to the rod 52 so as to turn with it. Within this frame is mounted an electric motor for driving the turn table. This motor is of well-known construction, now on the market, and it simply consists of a rotatable metallic disk 55 and an electromagnet 56 co operating therewith to form an eddy-current motor. A turn table 57 is mounted upon the shaft 58 of the motor above the frame and is shown in Fig. 7. When a record has been completed, therefore, and the cam rotated, the table will be tilted as shown in Fig. 2 (the center pin in the table being depressed as hereinafter described) to allow the record to slide -downward into the receptacle and return to-the horizontal position.

Center 10indepressz'ng mechanism The center pin of the rotating table is depressed through the actuation of the lever 59 by cam 60. The lever 59 is pivoted at 61 and cooperates with the cam 60 through roller 62. The upper end of the lever 59 is connected by a link 63 with an arm 64 secured to a shaft 65. This shaft 65 imparts to a sliding rod 66 a longitudinal movement through the agency of a finger 67 and pins 68 on the rod. The reciprocating motion of the rod 66 imparts a rotary motion to shaft 69 by means of the engagement of a pin 70 on the end of the rod 66 with a curved finger 71 on the shaft (see Fig.7). A forked arm 72 is secured to the shaft 69, the forked'portion engaging a grooved wheel 73 which rotates with and slides upon the rotating shaft 58 as shown in Fig. 7. Although the wheel 73 is loose upon the shaft, it is caused to turn with the shaft by a pin 74 projecting into a slot 75 in the shaft from the bottom of the groove. The center pin 76 is slidably mounted'in the center of the shaft 58 so that it may either project above the table to center the record or be below its surface. The center pm is moved vertically by being connected with the pin 74 in the sliding grooved wheel.-

Tone arm lifting mechanism Before the tone arm is turned or a record shlfted, the tone arm is lifted so as to remove the needle from contact with the record. This is accomplished through the operation of bell-crank lever 77 pivoted at 78 by cam 79. The free end of the lever 77 which is bent at right angles to the main port1on of the lever operates the lifting rod 80. This is accomplished by pivotal connection of the end ofthe lever with a crank 81 pivoted at 82 and connected to a lifting incur ber 83, also pivoted at 82. As the lever 7 7 is rocked by the cam, the lifting member v83 will raise the lifting rod 80. As shown in Fig. 6, this rod 80 passes through a tubular member 84 to which it is splined and engages an arm 80 connected with the tone arm and lifts it vertically in its bearing.

Tone arm turning mechanism After the needle is lifted, it is turned backward towards its starting position by the operation of lever 85 pivoted at 86 by cam 87. The free end of the lever 85 is connected with the tubular member 84 by a rod 88. The

connection is made with tube 84 through'a lug 89, there being a spring at 90 to give a yielding connection between the rod and the tubular member. At the upper end of the tube is a gear 91 driving an arm 92 through gear 93, this arm limiting the return movement of the tone arm. At the end of the arm are two V shaped slots 94 and 95, the former for stopping the tone arm in proper position on a record and the latter for stopping the tone arm in proper position on a 12" record. These slots 94 and 95 cooperate with a member 96 pivoted at 97, which is automatically shifted" so as to engage either slot 94 or 95, depending upon whether a large or a small record is drawn from the magazine. The member 96 is automatically shifted through the engagement of a record as it slides toward the table with a pin 98 on the end of an arm 99 pivoted at 100. This arm 99 is connected with member 96 through link 101 and link 101 pivoted at 102 and a connecting link 103. As the record is drawn from the magazine, therefore, before it reaches the table it will set the member 96 to limit the return movement of the tone arm. The spring at 90 permits the lever 85 to always have the same length of travel, while the tone arm travels different distances, depending upon the diameter of the record to be played. The arm 99 has another pin 104 which is'engaged by a projecprojection 107 on the arm 99engaging asliding rod 108 pivoted to a crank'member 109 on the end of the shaft 106. Each time the bridge comes back, therefore, to get a record from the magazine, projection 105 will engage the pin 104 and turn the arm 99 so that the projection 107 will turn the shaft 106. As the bridge returns with'a record it will move the arm 99 so that the member 96 will be in either one of its two operative positions. If, however, the bridge returns without a record, the arm 99 will not be returned. This will leave shaft 106 in the position to which it was returned and will cause the ma chine to stop through the mechanism hereinafter described.

0am mechanism The cams above referred to for driving the various mechanisms are driven by an electric. motor M. The cam mechanism is formed into a self-contained structure shown in detail in Fig. 4. Three of the cams, i. e., 60, 79 and 87 which respectively lift the tone arm, turn it back towards the starting position I the machine.

and tilt the table, always operate whenever the motor operates whereas the other cams are not operated when it is desired to re eat a record. The change is made, therefore, from the continuous operation in which different records are shifted to the table to a repeating operation in which the record is left on the table and the tone arm turned back so as to repeat that record, by a clutch. This clutch is operated by turning the shaft 110 (Fig. 3) at knurled head 111 on the top of Turning this shaft 110 rocks the lever 112 on its pivot which, in turn, rocks the shaft 113 through the agency of link 114 and crank 115. At the lower end of the shaft 113 is an arm provided with a pin 116 which cooperates with grooved mheel 117. Referring to Fig. 4, 118 represents the gear on the motor shaft. A This gear always drives cams 60, 79 and 87 through gears 119 and 120. Gear 129 and the cams 60, 79 and 87 are secured to a sleeve 121 so that whenever the motor operates it will drive, the three cams 60, 79 and 87. The three cams 20, and 43 are operated when the knurled head 11 is turned for continuous operation. Cam 43 and cam 20 are secured to a-sleeve 122 which is driven by gear 123, also secured to the sleeve.

Gear 123 is driven by gear 124 when the clutch 117 is thrown for continuous operation. Gear 124 and cam 20 are secured to a sleeve 125 loosely mounted on shaft 126. The grooved wheel 117 which is splined to a sleeve 126 to which gear 119 is secured is provided with a lug 127 which cooperates with projection 128 on gear 124 to orm a clutch. When, therefore, the clutch member 117 is moved inward so that the lug 127 engages projection 12-8, the gear 124 and the cam 20 will be driven. Gear 123 will, therefore, be driven; consequently, cam 43 and the cam 20 will also bedriven. It will be seen, therefore, that if the knurled head 111 is 'turned to the position marked C (Fig. 3) all of the cams will be operated and hence all of the operations above described will take place, whereas if the head is turned to position R, to repeat a record, neither the record shifting mechanism" nor the table tilting mechanism will be operated.

Control mechanism be operated so as to not only stop the motor M but also stop 'the phonograph motor.

' ing position.

- a finger 133 engaging a notch circuit by a its closed position,

'oted at 151',

- The mechanism for controlling'the phonograph motor is operated by the knurled head 129 through which the link 130 operates shaft 131. This mechanism, as best shown on Fig. 5, consists of a sliding plate 132 operated by in the plate so that as the shaft 131 is turned in either direction the plate will be moved longitudinally, being limited in its movement by a screw 134-cooperating with a slot in the plate. Cooperating with this plate is a contact cylinder 135 which is turned in one direction bridge moves to the right, the shaft 106 is to open the circuit by a spring 136 and is moved in the opposite direction to close the pin 137 on the plate which engages a projection 138 on the drum. A latch 139 pivoted at 140 holds the cylinder in there being a slot in the plate 141 through which the latch pivot passes. A spring 142 holds the latch in operative position and pin 143 on the plate moves the latch against the spring toreleas- As the shaft 131 is turned in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 5, plate 132 will be moved to the left and the drum 135 turned in a clockwise direction to close the circuit of the phonograph motor by ener izing electromagnet 56. The cylinder 1.35

will be held in this position by the latch 140. When the shaft'131 is turned in the opposite, or clockwise direction, the plate 132 will be moved to the rightv and the latch will be tripped by the pin 143 to allow cylinder 1 35 to move in response to the tension of spring 136 to open position. By turning the-nut of the knurled head 129 one way or the other, therefore, the phonograph motor will be started or stopped.

The control for the main motor M includes a contact drum 144 which is rotated to close the circuit by spring 145 and is moved to open position by a lug 146 on gear 120. This is accomplished by an arm 147 secured to the shaft upon which the contact drum 144 is mounted. This arm is providedwith a finger 148 engaging a sliding bar 149 to the right in Fig. 3 by lever 150 pivoted at 15.1. The lower end of lever 150 is cam shaped and is engaged by a lever 150 pivthelower side of which is cam shaped and engaged by the cam shaped lug 146 o the gear 120. As the gear.120, therefore, urns in a counterclockwise direction, lug 146 will move .the sliding bar 149 to the right to open the circuit of the motor M. The arm 147 is engagedby pivoted latch 152 which holds the contact drum' in open position, this latch being moved so as to release the drumby an electromagnet 153 which isenergized as hereinafter explained when the tone arm reaches the end of the record. 1 When the record hasbeen played, therefore, the winding 153 will be energized to release the rodeo that the contact drum 144 will move to closed position to energize which is moved the motor M. As the motor operates, the drum will be moved back to open position by the cam 146, so that the;motor will be deenergized when the gear "120 has made one revolution. This'arrangement insures that the motor M operates until all the operations above described are completed.

When the last record has been moved from the machine, however, both contact drums 121 and 144 are operated so as to de-energize .both the main motor M and the phonograph motor. As above pointed out, each time the turned but if a record is drawn from the magazine it will be moved back. In the event there is no record to be moved, however, this s'haft 106. will remain turned so as to effect the stopping of the phonograph motor. This shaft 106 operates a rod 155 (see Fig. 5) to the right each time the bridge moves over to the right to take a record. In doing so it turns lever 156 on its pivot so as to bring the free end ofthe lever into engagement with shoulder 157 on bar 149. This lever 156 is pivoted to a member 158 which in turn is pivoted'at 159. This member 158 is arranged so as to engage the sliding plate 132 to move it to the right when it is turned on its pivot. When the rod 155 is moved to the right so that the bar 149 in moving to the right engages lever 156, the lever 156 in being turned by bar 149 will carry with it the member 158 which in turn will slide the plate 132 to the right to open the circuit of the phonograph motor. If, therefore, there is no record in the magazine when the arm moves over to the magazine,

the parts will be set so that the operation of the motor M which turns the contact drum 144 will also turn the contact drum 135 to stop the phonograph motor, this operation also turning the knurled head 129 backto the off position.

Record magazine I The magazine for holding unplayed records comprises a horizontal support 160 provided with legs 160 which travel between guide rollers 161 and 162 to guide the suppoi-tin its vertical movement. The platform163 upon which the records are placed is mounted on the support 160 and the platform is spring pressed upward by means of two helical springs 164, the upper ends of which are attached to fixed supports 165 while the lower ends are connected to the ends ofthe bar 166 which connects the two legs 160. The springs 164 wi1l,therefore, yieldingly press the platform 163 upward toward the level of the phonograph turntable. In order to simplify the fillingof the magazine I provide a hand operated lever 167 which is connected by a link 168 with the cross bar 166. By turning the lever 167 to the left (Fig. 3), the table will be depressed moval of a record by engagement of a projection 170, which moves synchronously with v the bridge with an arm 171 on shaft 172 to which is attached an arm 173 which yieldingly engages the center pin to depress it. The table is pressed upward until the records which areplaced upon it engage a stop consisting of bars 17 4 which are pivoted at 17 5 (see Fig. 1). To change the records in the magazine, the lever 167 is first turned to depress the platform 163' and then frame composed of bars 174 which is locked down by latches176 is turned on its pivot and the records placed on the platform, pin 169 passing through the center holes in the records. The stop 174 is then looked back into place and the lever 167 turned to raise the records so that they press against the stop bars 174.

. Record receptacle The receptacle 16 for played records is 10- cated beneath the turn table and, as shown in Fig. 2, merely consists of an angular receptacle having one side 17 7 slightly inclined to the vertical and the bottom 178 slightly inclined to the horizontal. As a record slides ofithe table and engages the side177. it slides downward and remains against the side 177. As the turntable returns to the horizontal position a finger'179 connected by link 180 with the turn table turns on its pivot at 181 and engages the record which is lying against the side 177 knicking it so that it falls into a nearly horizontal position into engagement with the bottom 178 as shown in Fig. 2. The

records may then be removed through the I record from the magazine and the table tilts allowing the played record to slide down into door 182. a

Connections and mode of operation As thus constructed and arranged, the operation of my machine is as follows;

To start the machine the knurled head-129 is turned to the on position to start the phonograph motor. This turns drum 135 to close a circuit through coils 56 as follows: from the positive side of the line to coils 56,

"'- wire 189, contacts on drumi 135 and back to the negative side of the line. A record is now placed upon the table with the needle in contact with the record in-the usual way. Records of either the same or of different sizes will then be placed in the magazine as heretofore described. This may be done either before the machine is started or after it is started and while a record is being played. When the end of a record is'reached the tripping electromagnet 153, will be energized.

cuit or energizing this magnet is closed forms no part of my present invention. For purposes of illustration I have shown a contact device on the tone arm (see Fig. 7) by which thecontact is made. When the needle ceases to move forward, one of the contacts which moves with the needle also stops. The other contact, being connected with a brush 183, continues to move forward since it is in engagement with the grooves'of the record. This arrangement has been described in previous applications and needs no further description. In order that the circuit will not be completed accidentally at the beginning of a record, I have provided at 184 sliding contacts which are only made when the tone arm reaches a certain position near the end of the record. This, likewise, is described in previous applications. When, therefore,

slip rings 154, wire 188, through contacts on drum 135 and back to the negative side of the line. The energizing of this magnet 153 trips the latch 147 and allows the drum contact 144 to rotate, closing the circuit of the motor M, the circuit of which is as follows. Fromthe positive side of the line to wire 190 to the motor M, thence through contacts on drum 144, wire 191-through contacts of drum 135 and back to the negative side of the line. The motor M now starts and goes through the various operations above de- The particular arrangement whereby the cirscribed. The needle is lifted from the record and the tone arm is started backward toward the initial position. In the meantime bridge 15 starts to move to the right to pick up a the receptacle,'the center pin being depressed to permit this sliding action. The bridge then returns with the record and by the time it returns to the turn table the latter'has assumed its horizontal position without a record on it. The new record is now slid upon the table and the bridge returns to its position'shown in Fig. 1, midway between the turntable and the record magazine. If it is desired to repeat a record the knurled head 111 should be turned to repeating position marked B. This will disengage theclutch 117 to cause the needle to be lifted, the center pin depressed and the tone arm to be turned backward. There will, however, be no now records shifted to the table. When the last record has-been removed from the magazine or, what amounts to the same thing, no record is placed in the magazine, the phonograph motor will be stopped when the motor M has completed all its operations, including the sliding of the played record to the receptacle.

Everything will, therefore, be stopped and the played record put away in the receptacle. If at'any time it is desired to change the records automatically when the machine is playing, this can be done by pressing the button 192 which energize-s magnet 153 and start the motor M into operation. In other words, the push button 192 is merely a circuit in parallel with the contacts on the tone arm as a convenience to shift the records at any time.

While I have described my invention as embodied in concrete form and as operating in a specific manner in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto since various modifications thereof may suggest themselves to the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexedclaims.

l/Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a phonograph or the like of a receptacle for played records adacent the turntable, a stack of unplayed records in engagement with each other also adacent the turntable, means for sliding a record from the stack and placing it on the table including a record shifting member which is oscillated between the unplayed records and the table and means independent of the rotation of the table for tilting the played record from the horizontal while on the turntable and causing it to enter the receptacle.

2. The combination with a phonograph or the like of a receptacle for played records below the turntable, a magazine for records adjacent the turntable, a record shifting member normally between the magazine and the table, means whereby when a record is completed the table is tilted to cause the record to slide downward into the receptacle and means for causing the member to move a record from the magazine to the table and then return-to its normal position.

3. The combination with a phonograph or the like having a'center pin of a receptacle for played records below the turntable, a magazine for records adjacent the turntable, a record shifting member, means whereby upon the completion of a record the table is those skilled in ber normally located between the magazine and the turntable, a center pin normallypro jecting above the'table, means whereby upon the completion of a record the center pin istilted and the center pin thereof depressed to cause the record to slide downward into the receptacle and means for operating said member to slide a record onto the table while. the pin is depressed.

4:. The combination with a phonograph or the like of a receptacle for played records below the turntable. a magazine for records adjacent the turntable, a record shifting mem- 

